This is an overview of my Hallmark
Kiddie Car collection. These are approximately 1/8 scale heavy metal reproductions of
peddle cars, planes, trikes, wagons & scooters produced from the 1920's
through the
1960's. These models steer, peddles turn the wheels, some have
working lights and other movable and removable features. These
high quality reproductions were sold by Hallmark from Oct 1992 to Sept 2001.

Beginning in 1994, Hallmark began
including an Information Card in each box and the Luxury Editions came
with a Certificate of Authenticity showing the edition size and the
unique number assigned to that
car . . . which was also stamped on a plate attached to the bottom of the car.

If you are doing research, the
Collectomaniacs web site is an excellent reference for Kiddie Car
Collectors as images of all the cars and accessories are shown with a
description . . .
scroll down to the bottom of the Collectomaniacs page for the Kiddie Car links. My
site only shows my collection.

The following
definitions were used by Hallmark to define each Edition of the Kiddie Car
series:

Open Edition: These designs are not
numbered, but they were retired on a regular basis. Once a design
was
retired, the mold was taken out of production and that design was no
longer available to retailers.

Limited Time Editions: These designs
were available only until the announced retirement date.

Numbered Editions: These
individually numbered collectibles were issued in sequential
production editions limited to 9,999 pieces. For example, a piece
marked 2E/3255 means that this is the 3,255 piece of the second edition of
that design. Numbered edition designs were available only until the
announced retirement date.

Limited Editions: These were
individually numbered designs limited to a pre-determined edition
size. For instance, an edition size of 24,500 indicated that a maximum
of 24,500 pieces were produced. Once these pieces were sold to
Hallmark retailers, the design was retired.

Luxury Editions: (aka: Luxury
Limited Editions) These individually numbered designs were limited to a
predetermined edition size. Edition sizes would vary and were
announced at the product issue date. As showpieces of the collection,
they feature more elaborate designs and added touches. Once these
pieces have been sold to Hallmark retailers, the design was retired.

When the automobile made its
appearance, the pedal car soon followed. Pedal car history goes back to
the 1890's when most were modeled from the real cars on the road at the
time. Since their conception, pedal cars were all kids wished for. But
at the turn of the century, their cost meant they were playthings for
only wealthy families. With many families reeling from the financial
devastation of The Great Depression, pedal cars were often toys for
upper class children. Those not so fortunate played with basic homemade
ride-on toys. In the 1920's and 1930's the wealthy were catered to when
it came to buying pedal cars since they were the primary buyers. No
pedal cars were produced in the mid-1940's when all metal production was
directed to the World War II effort.

Reaching the peak of popularity in the
late 1920's and early 1930's, pedal cars experienced a resurgence in the
1950's to 1960's with chain-driven models. With postwar prosperity in
the 1950's, pedal cars grew more popular and were available in all major
stores. From the early 1920's through the late 1960's, pedal cars, like
automobiles, were produced in many different models and colors. Designed
to incorporate the most current trends of the automotive world, pedal
cars featured working lights and horns, moveable windshields and
ragtops, chrome detailing and hood ornaments, and white wall tires and
custom paint jobs.

Later pedal toy manufacturers
recognized that there was a huge market for these pedal car ride-on toys
and extended their business strategies to include manufacturing of other
pedal toy products like pedal planes, namely the Red Baron, Shark Attack
and Fantasy Flyer. Manufacturers later extended their idea of the pedal
car to all things pedal, including pedal trains, pedal trucks,
tricycles, and even die cast models for those who just wanted a model of
the models. The idea of owning one of these pedal toys is trendy to this
day as many pedal toy owners are not only purchasing these products as
gifts for their children, but also as collectible items. They have an
emotional attachment to the memory that these cars bring to them.

In the 1960's, a fascination with
space and air travel, the ubiquity of plastics, and new safety standards
for toys brought an end to widespread metal pedal car production. In the
1970's the plastic car was introduced and the traditional steel pedal
cars almost faded out of existence. Children's car manufacturing
continued in plastic, but the design of the vehicles no longer captured
the aesthetic of adult automobiles. The pedal car era began almost as
soon as the world embraced the automobile and ended when metal toys gave
way to plastic.

Today as in the past, the joy of
purchasing these pedal products is that they have a fabulous build
quality unlike the plastic models that came out in the late 1970's.
The pedal cars manufactured through the 60's were constructed with pure steel, no
plastic parts. This durability, along with the exquisite style and detail
of the early models make these early peddle cars highly collectable.